Review: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (PS3)

After recent less-than-stellar starring roles in video games, Spidey is back …

Spider-Man is one of those comic characters whose recent games have been a roller-coaster of quality: Activision's first two Playstation games in the late 90s were OK, the original movie's game adaptation was pretty good, Spider-Man 2 was delightful, Ultimate Spider-Man was enjoyable, Spider-Man 3 was rather painful, and we do not speak of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe in polite company. Now, though, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows has come along, and it seems as though the roller coaster has taken a dramatic turn for the better and reached a high point for the character.

Web of Shadows is one of those games that, at first glance, probably won't leave players familiar with Peter Parker all that amazed. Players are dropped into the middle of an intense action sequence, which will leave most people more than a little confused, as no backstory is immediately given. What's apparent, though, is that New York is under siege by otherworldly creatures that look like strange amalgamations of Venom and Spider-Man, and various heroes and villains are doing their best to fight what seems to be a losing battle. Don't worry: all will be made clear.

Most of the game is actually one long flashback detailing what happened over the past few days to lead up to the game's events, beginning with a super-powered battle between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock. Brock's symbiote costume splits off, and part of it bonds with Parker, giving him the ability to instantly shift between red and black outfits, giving him different styles of game play and personality. When dressed in his red costume, Spidey is faster and more acrobatic and noble, while the black threads make Spidey stronger—albeit a bit slower—but also gives him a darker and much more selfish personality.

During critical moments in the game's story, players can actually decide how things should play out by choosing either a red or black ethical decision. As a result, the game has two very different narrative paths that will require at least two play-throughs to fully appreciate. Thankfully, Web of Shadows is so much fun that replaying it wont' seem like a chore in the slightest. The combat is very satisfying. As players progress and gain experience from various missions and battles, they can unlock different abilities for Spider-Man to use while he fights the symbiote menace. You actually have a reason to perform the numerous side-quests given to you by the game's characters.

Fighting the aliens requires zipping back and forth across New York, and New York has never been so brilliantly recreated in a video game. It's epic and huge, but easily navigable for our favorite wall-crawler. Not only that, but players can summon an increasing number of allies to help them out in combat as the game actually progresses: depending on which moral path they're swinging down, either heroes or villains will come to your aid, and battles will occur in very different ways depending on who is providing backup.

While these are all solid features, the best part about Web of Shadows is the fact that it feels like it was made especially for comic fans. There are constant subtle references to the Marvel Universe, such as billboard ads for Stark Enterprises next to ones for Stride Gum, dialogue between characters which allude to a number of comic plots that wouldn't be known to people who are only fans of the films, and cameos by characters who are more cult-status than mainstream. Plus, the fact that the game's completely original plot feels like it could have been a summer comic book crossover only adds to the appeal.

Granted, there are a couple of problems with the game: during particularly hectic action sequences, the framerate dips rather severely, and crawling/running up the walls of Manhattan's buildings occasionally causes the camera to become wonky. The game randomly froze twice during the review, too, but this occurred at random moments that were unable to be recreated.

Overall, it's easy to recommend this game to anyone looking for an enjoyable action-adventure. In spite of a rocky start, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows manages to find its stride a little ways in, telling a great story while providing some solid game play. Provided they can stay patient enough to figure out what's going on, as well as not give up when encountering the occasional problems experienced during the review process, gamers will be rewarded with what is arguably one of the best Spider-Man games to date.

Ben's thoughts

I have the game on the 360 and experienced the same feeling of initial boredom, while not being impressed by the game's graphics, but with the web-slinging, combat, and the feel of being Spider-Man done so well, I too was quickly sucked in. I expected very little from this game, and got much out of it. While the frame-rate is inconsistent on Microsoft's system as well, I have no trouble recommending this one to fans. I mean, c'mon. Luke Cage handles the tutorial, and that's pretty much awesome. Plus Wolverine gets his turn with a symbiote suit, which is also pretty much awesome. Also, who doesn't love a lengthy brawl with the Black Cat on the side of a building that feels more like foreplay than combat?